The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN) has described the late Gani Fawehinmi’s legacy as one of courage, resilience, and unwavering commitment to justice for the common man.
Keyamo made the commendations in his goodwill message on the 21st Anniversary of the Gani Fawehinmi yearly lecture, organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja Branch.
He was represented by Mr. Henry Agbebire, a Director at the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). Keyamo described Fawehinmi as a man whose indelible mark on human rights advocacy, public service, and the legal profession continues to inspire all.
“As someone whose journey as a human rights activist began in my formative years under the mentorship of the legendary Gani Fawehinmi, I take great pride in the continued relevance of the issues that shaped my early legal career, including the protection of citizens’ rights, the importance of accountable governance, and the advocacy for equitable public policy. These same principles fuel my work today as the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development,” he said.
He, therefore, commended the NBA Ikeja branch for ensuring that the spirit of Fawehinmism lives on, and for focusing this year’s lecture on the crucial topic. He also expressed his commitment to supporting initiatives that promote the values of fairness, human rights, and socio-economic advancement.
Earlier, Professor Ademola Popoola, former Dean, Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, presented a paper on the topic:” Bretton Woods and the African Economies: Can Nigerians Survive Another Structural Adjustment Programme?”
He said that African governments have pursued political and economic reforms since the late 1980s in a bid to promote economic growth, reduce poverty and encourage popular participation as well as good governance.
“A number of assessments indicate however that outcomes have been far from satisfactory. The poor outcomes have been partly blamed on the weakness of the public sectors in African cities.
“African bureaucracies play a contradictory and conflict-ridden roles, being at once, part of the problem, and the cure for weak public institutions,” he said. He noted that the failure of economic reforms to have a lasting impact on Africa has also been blamed on the lack of ownership by governments.
“African governments also need to care about their reputations and credibility, not only with respect to their domestic constituencies but also in relation to the donor community as experience has shown that when governments cannot be taken at their word, their policy effectiveness becomes seriously eroded.
“The IMF stabilisation and World Bank have centred on two broad objectives to correct the balance of payments deficit of a country exclusively and to achieve external payments reduction with minimised output losses, reduced inflation, improved macroeconomic performance and increased economic growth rate,” he said.
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